The last hope of relatives: how DNA examination of the dead bodies is carried out in Ukraine

“Almost 100 soldiers of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians went missing in October-November last year. In December, the Russians handed over 17 bodies. Several were identified without DNA testing.

The relatives of the missing soldiers have long since submitted their biomaterial. However, over the past year, only 5 soldiers have been identified using DNA and given a proper burial.

For example, I submitted my son's sample back on November 3, 2022. It was returned from the laboratory several times because it was not properly processed by the investigator. Only in January did the laboratory accept it for work. And now it's October, but there are no results.

There are cases when biomaterial taken from relatives of the 72nd Brigade fighters was damaged or even lost. This is some kind of callousness and negligence. Why is the examination taking so long? It seems that no one but the relatives needs the examination,” says Liudmyla Havryliuk. Her husband, a tanker with the 72nd Brigade, went missing in the summer of 2022.

Obviously, relatives of soldiers from other brigades can tell similar stories. It hurts them because very often DNA testing is the only hope for identifying bodies.

The database of DNA profiles of fallen soldiers and people whose relatives went missing in the combat zone is being formed and stored at the State Research Forensic Center (SRFC). This institution is the main unit of the Expert Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Ukraine.

hromadske spent a day with SRFC experts and found out how DNA expertise is conducted in Ukraine to identify the dead and why it can take many months.

Please note that the material contains some information that may be too sensitive for some readers. Therefore, the choice of whether to read further is yours.

How do DNA samples get to the laboratory?

Currently, 24 laboratories in Ukraine conduct DNA testing, 13 of which have been opened since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

The procedure for donating biomaterial by relatives is very simple: a person personally runs a special brush or an ordinary ear stick up to ten times along the inside of the cheek, which is how the buccal epithelium is collected. This is done in the office of the police department or investigator who is in charge of the criminal proceedings regarding missing persons.

The investigator should immediately pack the brush or stick in a special paper envelope, indicate on it whose biomaterial sample it is and when it was taken, and send it to the relevant regional laboratory of the MIA Expert Service.

“The buccal epithelium is selected because it is the easiest way to take a sample: the biomaterial is obtained without incisions and punctures, which means there is no threat of infection. In addition, a person takes it on their own, whereas they cannot draw blood on their own. In addition, it is the easiest way to identify DNA from the buccal epithelium,” says Ruslan Abbasov, head of the Laboratory of the State Registration of Human Genomic Information at the SRFC.

Why can samples be taken from relatives several times?

There are several reasons for this. For example, the biomaterial may have deteriorated on the way to the laboratory. This can happen if a sample with epithelium is placed in a plastic or glass container where it does not “breathe”. In other words, it is actually someone's negligence.

“An investigator may have 200 or more cases in their workload, which is a huge burden,” says Ruslan Abbasov.

But usually, the repeated collection of biomaterial is linked to another thing. If an expert records a certain match between the DNA profiles of a serviceman's body and a living person, several other studies must be conducted to confirm or refute the match. That is why additional samples of biomaterial are taken from the relatives of the serviceman.

It also happens that a soldier has no parents or children. In this case, they have to work with biomaterial from other relatives: aunts, uncles, grandmothers, etc.

“The more distant the relatives are, the more difficult it is to conduct an examination,” explains Kostiantyn Dubonos, the center's deputy director.

What if you can't find any blood relatives of the soldier?

In this case, experts try to identify DNA from his personal belongings. Those that were used only by him, and intensively and for a long time, such as a fur hat or gloves.

“The ideal option is unwashed clothes. Or an electric razor with the remains of the owner's hair and epithelium. No one wants to think of bad things, but it would be good for the wife of a serviceman to pack such things or an unwashed shirt he has worn for a long time in a cardboard box, just in case. And in no case should that shirt be washed, so as not to destroy the possibility of identifying the body of her husband if necessary,” notes Kostiantyn Dubonos.

Is it possible to extract DNA from each body?

Unfortunately, no. It all depends on the condition of the body. If a soldier's body was left indoors or outdoors for only a few days after his death, and in cold weather, it is easier for a forensic expert to take a blood or muscle tissue sample.

But more often, we are talking about bodies that lie in a field or forest for months in the rain and scorching sun until they are found and brought to a forensic expert. It is impossible to extract DNA from a rotten body. Blood cells, for example, begin to rot as early as 3-5 days. Bone rots the slowest, so if the remains no longer look like a body, the forensic expert tries to find some bone fragment that may still contain living cells.

The technology of the expert's work with this fragment is quite troublesome. A small piece is separated from the bone and placed in a test tube. Then it is cleaned of contamination with water and special reagents, dried in a drying oven, and crushed to a state of homogeneous bone dust.

DNA is established from this dust: with the help of reagents, the cell membrane is destroyed, then the membrane of its nucleus and genetic material, nuclear DNA, is taken from the chromosomes and poured into a special solution. To establish a DNA profile, forensic experts then work with this solution.

Similarly, a forensic scientist tries to find living cells in the remains of a burned body. The skin and muscles burn first, and the bone burns last. Therefore, in search of a surviving piece of bone, a forensic scientist sometimes has to literally sift through the burnt remains.

“DNA is destroyed at temperatures above 100 degrees. Ashes are the end product of combustion, meaning there is nothing biologically alive in them. If only ashes remain of a fighter, it is impossible to establish a DNA profile,” explains Ruslan Abbasov.

How long does DNA testing take?

There is no definite answer. The duration of the examination depends on many factors:

• on properly executed documents from the investigator;
• on how quickly a DNA profile can be established from the body of the deceased: usually, experts work with biomaterial samples until they identify DNA or until they are convinced that this is impossible. According to Kostiantyn Dubonos, a DNA profile has already been identified from all the samples that came to the laboratories of the MIA's Expert Service last year;
• on how quickly the relatives submit their biomaterial and how many times they have to do it. A DNA match can only be hoped for if the DNA profiles of the deceased and his or her relatives are already in the SRFC database.

There are problems with all this. Relatives of missing persons can donate their biomaterial and a DNA profile can be established from it, and meanwhile, the body of their loved one will still be lying in some forest plantation, not found by any search group.

Or vice versa: the DNA profile of a fighter is established, but people who may be his relatives do not give their biomaterial — they are afraid to think that their son or father is dead, so they reassure themselves that he is in captivity.

There is another option: relatives of servicemen are overly active and open criminal proceedings in different district police departments, so different investigators order DNA examinations for them.

“People think that this will speed up the process of identifying the body of their deceased relative. In fact, it is the opposite. Expensive reagents are consumed, equipment is loaded, and experts are distracted by establishing a DNA profile that is already in the SRFC database. This nonsense slows down the work of DNA laboratories,” notes Kostiantyn Dubonos.

Where is the body stored while the examination is taking place?

In morgues, forensic experts try to take as many different samples of the deceased's biological material as possible at one time so that DNA laboratory experts have material for different research methods if necessary.

Until the identification process is completed, the body is kept in the morgue. If the body cannot be identified for a long time, it is buried under a number in a cemetery. But this does not mean that the laboratories stop searching for DNA profile matches. If a match is found, the body is exhumed and handed over to the identified relatives.

What can be done to make the procedure easier?

Ukraine already has a law on the registration of human genomic information, which was adopted in 2022. It allows every serviceman to donate his biomaterial before leaving for the combat zone.

If every soldier takes a responsible approach, in the event of a tragedy, there will be no need to involve their relatives or search for their belongings to conduct DNA examinations. Samples taken from the body of the deceased will simply be compared with the DNA profile of the military themselves.

“For example, recently the body of a fighter of the Liut joint assault brigade of the National Police was easily identified by the vital pattern,” says Ruslan Abbasov.

Afterword

According to experts, the global practice is to conduct DNA examinations after the war is over. Ukraine, on the other hand, is trying to deal with samples of biomaterial from the dead in hot pursuit.

There is a lot of humanity in this for the victims and their relatives. And also a sober calculation, because the potential amount of expert work is so great that it is inappropriate to postpone the identification of the fallen defenders until the end of the war.

After the fighting is over, search teams will have to work with the sites of bloodshed and hundreds of graves in the currently occupied territories for a very long time. Therefore, we should prepare for the fact that DNA identification of those killed in this war will be a task for a very, very long time.